In recent years, there is an increasing demand for a light and thin display. Especially, active matrix type liquid crystal display devices using a large liquid crystal panel are in wide spread use. However, an increase in size of a liquid crystal panel poses many technical restrictions. In view of this, attempts have been conventionally made for seemingly increasing a size of a liquid crystal panel by combining a plurality of display devices.
However, since each of the display devices has a frame region, the attempts cause a problem that seams between the plurality of display devices are visible. This problem is not a problem specific to liquid crystal display devices, but is a problem common to direct-view-type display devices such as a PDP and an organic EL display device.
Patent Literature 1 for example discloses an arrangement in which light emitted from a display area is guided to a non-display area by a fiber optic faceplate covering an entire surface of a display panel so that a seamless image is displayed.
Patent Literature 2 discloses an arrangement in which a fiber optic faceplate complex is provided on an entire surface of a display panel on which display units are provided in a tile-like manner, and in each of the display units, light emitted from a display area is guided, by an individual fiber optic faceplate, to a non-display area formed around the display area so as to be expanded. Thus, an image that is seamless on the whole is displayed.
Patent Literature 3 discloses an arrangement in which light compensation means including (i) a large number of tilted thin films tilted at a predetermined angle and (ii) a transparent member that fills in between the tilted thin films is provided on an almost entire surface of a display panel, and light emitted from a display area is guided to a non-display area by the light compensation means so that a seamless image is displayed.